The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) has welcomed the recent exploratory agreement between CDU/CSU and SPD, confirming their commitment to fully harnessing the potential of renewable energy sources. According to BWO, this sends a strong and positive signal for Germany’s energy transition and ensures long-term planning security for the offshore wind industry.
At the same time, BWO has firmly rejected the proposal from the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) to lower offshore wind expansion targets. As BWO Managing Director Stefan Thimm emphasizes, reducing offshore wind ambitions would mean either abandoning climate goals or increasing Germany’s dependency on hydrogen imports.
BWO highlights that the current legally binding target of at least 70 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2045 could deliver around 220 TWh of green electricity annually, strengthening the resilience of the energy system. “A reduction of this target would undermine long-term investments, slow down offshore industry growth, and make Germany unnecessarily dependent on energy imports,” warns Thimm.
The organization also points to the effectiveness of the latest Marine Spatial Plan prepared by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), which ensures the efficient use of available areas while proposing measures to reduce costs and boost offshore wind yields – all while keeping the ambitious 70 GW target intact.
Together with the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), BWO has already put forward proposals to enhance offshore efficiency, including a more flexible approach to overplanting – the installation of wind capacity beyond grid connection limits. BWO is firmly opposed to binding curtailment measures for offshore wind farms, arguing that such restrictions would compromise their economic viability.
For BWO, maintaining a stable 70 GW target is crucial to securing investments and providing reliable conditions for the entire offshore wind supply chain, including component manufacturers, suppliers, and the maritime industry. Any rollback of this target could create uncertainty across the sector and stall Germany’s urgently needed expansion of renewable energy capacity.
